Worlds Apart
by MountainRain
Summary: AU future fic. Yoshiaki discovers that what people think isn't always important when he meets a mysterious girl. Finished!
1. New

Worlds Apart

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or any of its characters. I do, however, own Yoshiaki Otsuki. 

Author's Note: This is an AU future fic. It is written in the POV of Yoshiaki Otsuki, the hero of this story.

Chapter 1: New

            Her skin was soft tanned silk. Her hair was pure white snow. Her eyes were deep bright green pools, always sparkling with hope.and hidden sorrow..

            She was the innocent victim of her classmates' hatred.

            She sung to the moon, the stars, the sun. She sung to the snow, the trees, the flowers. She was Mother Nature's daughter, a princess of snow and ice.

            She taught me to see. She opened my blind eyes to the world, and for once, I was able to feel.

            Her "family" didn't love her. She did not exist to them.

            She didn't deserve to be in this world. Better yet, the world didn't deserve her.

            One day, she was gone..

            .Or so I thought..

            I can remember the day she waltzed into our lives. A small knock came from the hallway of my high school. The teacher opened the door, and in stepped a tan girl with white hair and happy green eyes. 

            "Class, please welcome Takayama Yumiko. She is new here at Tokyo High School."

            Yumiko smiled a warm honey smile. The unresponsive class thought in unison: _Another geek._

            "Takayama-san, please sit in the empty desk next to Otsuki Yoshiaki." Sensei pointed to me. Yumiko traveled down the aisle to the desk to my left. She beamed at me and sat down. _Lucky me_, I thought.

            The teacher continued her lesson on organ systems. Her words were barely audible to me; she was so boring. 

            "Otsuki-san, what system does the alveoli belong to?" Sensei's question knocked me out of my daze.

            "Uh.in the digestive system?"

            "Takayama-san, since you're new here, why don't you tell Otsuki-san where the alveoli is?"

            "The alveoli aren't found in the digestive system. They belong to the respiratory system."

            Immediately after she answered half of the class, including me, turned and glared at her.

            "Yoshi-kun could've gotten it," hissed Yumi. That girl had had a crush on me since the sixth grade. Every time I turned around she was there, like a fake blonde shadow you just couldn't get rid of.

            By the time class was over the word spread across the school like wildfire. Yumiko walked through the whispering hallways obliviously, as if she didn't even know what was going on.

            Two freshman girls gossiped as she walked by them. "Did you hear about how that new girl stole Yoshiaki's spotlight when he was answering in class?"

            "Yeah, what a showoff! She probably doesn't know who he is!" 

            I didn't understand what the big deal was, so what if she revealed my ignorance? It's not as if she actually knew who I was, if she did then she wouldn't have answered. Most kids didn't. They were scared of me, probably because I was popular.

I walked down the halls after school ended. I wanted to get out of there as quick as possible before Yumi spotted me. A tap on my shoulder stopped me. Too late. I turned around and, as expected, Yumi was smiling at me with her seductive brown eyes. I groaned.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun!"

"Please don't call me that," I said with a rose tint on my cheeks. _She always knows how to embarrass me._

"Whatever you want, Yoshiaki!" she stated. "Isn't it just terrible about what that new girl did to you?" She started to walk by my side as I headed home.

"It doesn't really matter," I answered flatly. _Does she _have_ to bring up every little thing?_

"Oh." We were a block away from school. My house was two blocks while hers was around the corner. _Yes_, I thought. _Time to ditch her._

"Hey, isn't you house that way?" I pointed in the direction of her street.

"Uhh.. Oh, yeah. Well, I'll see ya later, Yoshiaki-kun!" She waved like a rabid dog and ran off. I sighed in relief. 

            I decided not to go home so quickly. It was 3:13. I still had about an hour. I walked blindly until I came upon Sakura Park. There was nowhere better to go, so what the heck? I entered the big black gate into the snow-filled park. It was literally a winter wonderland. The shadows of the trees danced on the surface of the snow. Songs of the sparrows filled the air with peace.

            _kinoo atta dekigoto keshiki mitai ni hanasu KIMI  
  
_

_yuukure no mannaka de koko wa natsu no iriguchi_

            Out of nowhere, I heard soft singing. It was like whispers in the rain. I walked closer and closer to the sound.

            _CHAIMU ni hazikarete kakedasu sakamichi  
  
_

_kaze o kanzitara  
  
_

_nayande ita koto mo warai to baseru kara  
  
_

_ashita wa hareru ne_

It drew me in like a fly to honey. This song was so hypnotizing. I walked blindly on into the frostbitten trees.

_koi shite yume miru mainichi daizi na takaramono_

_toritomenaku osyaberi tsuzukete itai hookago wa  
  
_

_mada shiranai tokimeki deau setsunai yokan_

I came to a small clearing amidst the trees. Snowflakes began to fall lightly from the gray clouds.

_toki ni onazi kimochi mitsukerarenakute mo  
  
_

_KIMI wa daizyoobu  
  
_

_zibun rashi koto ga kagayaite iru tte  
  
_

_oshiete kureta ne_

I saw a maiden, dressed in white, with white hair. The snow made her look almost invisible if it wasn't for her tanned skin. Her slim figure swayed slightly, as if moved by the wind.

_narande mitsumeru ano sora omoi o utsushiteru_

_RASSYU no hitonami ni nagasarenai yoo ni  
  
_

_kokoro musubitai  
  
_

_akogareteru koto o zutto nakusanai de  
  
_

_otona ni natte mo_

Then this mystery girl turned around. Her big green eyes spotted me, but her pink lips kept singing. At first I couldn't figure out who this snow-girl was. Then it hit me.

_koi shite yume miru mainichi daizi na takaramono  
  
_

_sugi yuku zikan no kakera ni eien tozikomete_

"Yumiko?"

She nodded. Yumiko walked towards me and looked down. "Sorry about making you look bad in class today."

"Uh.. Well, that's okay. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Singing. Didn't you hear it?"

"I know, but why? Shouldn't you be home?"

"Shouldn't _you _be home right now?"

"Hey, I asked you f- Oh, never mind. Bye." I turned around hastily and left.

By the end of the first day, Yumiko had earned a name at Tokyo High School: That New Girl.


	2. Numb

Worlds Apart

Chapter 2: Numb

Disclaimer: If I owned Love Hina, why the hizzell would I be writing this!?

I got home quicker than I wanted to. As I opened the door, silence greeted me. I smiled; no one was home yet. I had some nice quiet time to myself so I decided to spend it in my room.

Walking in, I dropped down on my bed and sighed. The day had been weird at times but overall good. Yumi was a stalker as usual, things were boring at lunch, and once again I pretended to be like everyone else. Yumiko was.interesting.. My "fan-group" were creepy like they always were, my friends were unbearably naïve once again, and everything else was normal.

As I lay on my bed I thought about going to the police station getting a restraining order as a gift for Yumi. Then Yumiko suddenly popped into my mind. A few verses of her song still stuck in my mind. I smiled unconsciously. She was dressed in a figure showing white gown- goodness only knows how she got it-and her voice was like.birds singing after a storm. I quickly shook these thoughts away. Yumiko was the new school nerd. What would they think.?

A door slammed and interrupted my thoughts. Then came a flow of curses and complaining. _My brother is home. _A feminine voice disrupted the whining with a, "Oh be quiet! Man, you never shut up!" _My sis is home, too. _

Then another voice spoke up. "Will you two SHUT UP!? You're worse than little kids!"

"Why don't you shut up?"

"Why don't you all SHUT UP!!" I yelled. I was getting a migraine. A curly brown head popped into my room. 

"Yoshiaki? When did you get home?"

"About ten minutes ago. Where's Mom?" I asked. My eldest sister nodded her head toward my parent's room. Mom was probably resting from dealing with my older siblings. I decided to check in on her in case they upset her or something. 

I walked through the hallway adorned with family portraits. Quietly, I stepped into her doorway. "Mom?"

"Yes, Yoshiaki?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to check in on you."

"Can you close the door on your way out? Your brother's on a whine-athon again.."

I smiled and closed the door. The front door opened unexpectedly and in rolled my father. He was bald and had squinty eyes. His skin wrinkled as he said, "Whew! It's cold out there!" loudly. 

My sister squealed, "You don't have to say it so LOUD. I have a stinkin' headache!"

He paid no mind and continued into the kitchen. I walked in while he was there and he ruffled my hair, messing up my perfectly placed brown spikes.

"Woo! You use too much gel! I can cut my hand on your hair!!" he laughed roughly. I grimaced and tried to fix my hair, which was now white from the disturbed gel.

"At least I have hair." I was mad now. My hair was one of the only things I could be proud of.

"Not if you keep putting gel. Why don't you get a hair cut?"

"Why don't you get a life?" I blurted this out unexpectedly. I could see his face falling and he turned away. I slapped my forehead and went to take a bath. As always, I never think before I speak. As always, I had to live with the guilt.

I stepped into the white tub filled to the brim with steaming hot water. I rested my head on the wall and tried to let the guilt and pain wash away. My skin was turning redder by the minute but I didn't feel it.

I never feel it.

It burned, sizzled, and reddened, but I was oblivious to the pain. I dunked my head under for a few minutes and let the hot liquid soak into my hair. I tried to wash the guilt away, but it could not go away. Once again, I had to live with the guilt.. 

Just a few more minutes, and the air would be cut off from my system.no more air for me.I don't deserve it..

Finally, I couldn't take it and brought my head back to the surface. I gasped for air and filled my lungs with the sweet substance. Sweet air.it's so nice..

But someone as horrible as me doesn't deserve air. Someone who can't feel the burn of boiling water..


	3. Sketch

Chapter 3- Sketch

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Love Hina.

Mountain Rain: So you don't get confused, I changed the hero's name to Yoshiaki. And thanks to Haitani Masayuki for that very honest review. 

Mornings aren't the best part of my day. I never get enough sleep so I'm always drowsy at school. This morning was no different.  I got to school early just to fall asleep on my desk. However, the bell warning students to get inside their homerooms rang, waking me from my sweet slumber.

I popped my eyes open just in time to see Yumiko walk in. Two of my "friends" decided to trip her on her way to her desk. Yumiko fell to the ground while the class burst out laughing. I had to admit, it was pretty funny. I got an urge to help the fallen girl when she aimed her big green eyes at me. Unfortunately, the class was watching, waiting to see if I would help the outcast or snub her.

I snubbed her. What was I supposed to do? If the class caught the "king of popularity" helping a reject, they'd lynch me. But worst of all, they'd torture Yumiko.

Yumiko got up and glared at me. She sat down and began to scribble in a book. I was curious to see what she was doing, but she caught me staring at her. It was a good thing no one else noticed.

First period began with the ringing of the bell. My classmates hurried out the door to their next classes. I was the last one to stay in the room. An object on Yumiko's desk caught my eye: a leather-bound sketchbook. I leafed through it. Nothing special, just extraordinary drawings.

One sketch stood out from the rest. It was of a man and a woman standing on the steps of a building. There were Sakura trees surrounding the area. The man had square-framed glasses and dark messy hair. The woman was tanned and had medium-length light hair. Something was written in the lower right corner.

"Mom and Dad at Hinata Sou." 

A cough interrupted my thoughts. "Otsuki-san, if you're done, I would suggest going to your next class," stated Sensei.

I looked around. The next class had entered the classroom and I was standing there with my nose in a book like a brainiac! 

"Oh, um, gomen nasai*, Sensei," I stammered and hurried out the door, taking Yumiko's sketchbook with me.

After school I spotted Yumiko. There was no way I was going to give her back her sketchbook in front of everybody. Yumiko was talking to two people on the far side of the school building. I hid behind the shrubbery and watched them. (MR: No, Yoshiaki is not a stalker, no matter how weird that last sentence just sounded.) The man and woman she was talking to looked a lot like the people in her drawing.

'So that's her parents?' I thought. The lady looked exactly like Yumiko. Her dad looked like a brain. They seemed to be very happy to see their daughter. Yumiko quickly hugged them and ran off. I checked to see if anyone was looking, and thank goodness, they weren't. Then I ran after her. "Yumiko! Wait up!"

She turned and raised an eyebrow at me. "What? Aren't you worried your popular buddies will see you?"

I frowned at her and handed her the sketchbook. "You left this in homeroom."

Yumiko blinked and took it. "Thank you," she said, a bit surprised. We began to walk down the street together. After a few minutes of silence, I decided to start a conversation with her.

"So, are those your parents?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh. What are their names?"

"Keitaro and Kaolla Urashima."

I thought for a moment. "Urashima? But your name is…" 

Yumiko, of course, took off while I was thinking.

"…Takayama."

Mountain Rain: Short chapter. Does it seem more like a LH AU future fic now? I guess not. Keitaro and Kaolla pairings are a bit uncommon. They would make a good couple, though. Please review.

*Gomen Nasai = I'm sorry/ Forgive me.


	4. Denial

Worlds Apart

Chapter 4- Denial

Disclaimer: Ha, like I'd ever own LOVE HINA.

Mountain Rain: * I love this show. ^_^ *

Rain. It cleanses the earth of impurities. It washes away the guilt of yesterday. It refreshes the mind of all troubles.

It's also annoyingly cold and uncomfortable. I found this out while walking through the slushy streets to school. No umbrella hovered above my spiky head, just an empty notebook with a thousand signatures on it. The events of the day before bounced around in my head. I had so many questions.

_Why was Yumiko's parents' last name different? Why was she so weird?_

_Why the fudge was Yumi following ME!? _

Yumi was running like a mad blonde scabies-infested rat-thing. I shuddered. And my day was going so well.

"Yoshi-kun!" She finally reached me, unfortunately.

"Yes?"

"I got a call yesterday from Miyuki, who got a call from San, who got a call from Lee's brother's baby's mama's cousin's best friend—"

"Get to the point."

"What were you doing yesterday walking _Yumiko_ home?" she asked.

My mouth dropped. "W-what!?" 'How did all those people know?' I thought.

"It must have been a mistake, right?" Yumi asked hopefully. "I mean you'd never walk with a girl like her."

"Y-yeah, just a mistake…." She sighed in relief and began to walk with me to school. I didn't really pay attention to her mindless chatter. I was in deep doo doo.

Very deep doo doo.

Thankfully, when we got to school, I didn't get much attention. That was probably because I went through the trouble of climbing a few trees and sneaking in through the window. Yumiko was in classroom, though, and she smiled at me.

"Hi."

"Hey," I answered.

"Why are there leaves in your hair? And why did you come in through the window?"

I shook the leaves out of my hair. "I'll tell you if you tell me about your parents."

She smirked. Then the class walked in. That darned class. 

"Yoshiaki!" shouted Yumi and my fan group. I quickly turned away from Yumiko and faced them. They practically tackled me and began to bombard me with questions about Yumiko's and my escapade the day before.

"What were you doing with her?"

"Why don't you walk with any of us!?"

"WHY YUMIKO? WHYYYYY!?"

I grinned at them. "It was just an illusion. A simple mistake." They seemed to be satisfied with my answer and hastily dispersed.

Yumiko, on the other hand, was not. Her smile melted and she said, "Even I could come up with a better excuse that that."

Despite my want to apologize, I had no other choice but to ignore her.

After school I caught up with her on the street. She tried to elude me, but I caught her easily. "I'm sorry."

"I'm so sure," she snapped. "Why don't you go with all of your popular friends and continue to ignore me?"

"I don't want to. I want to talk with you."

"Just like you wanted to talk to me in the classroom?" she questioned and quickened her pace.

"I told you, I'm sorry about that! What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, continue to talk to me!? If you're so worried about your precious image, then why don't you leave me alone and hang out with Yumi and your lovely fan group!" 

At this I was dumb-founded. She glared at me and walked away. I stared after her and decided to break out of the grave I'd already buried myself in.

The next day, I arrived to school early. Yumiko and I were alone in the classroom once again. Every time I looked her way, she buried her nose deeper in the book she was reading. The silence was killing me, so I began to talk to her.

"Yumiko, look—"

She gave me the cold shoulder and turned away. I ran an anxious hand through my hair. The class would be here soon, and I had less than a minute to strike up a conversation with Yumiko and show her that I didn't care that much about how the class viewed me. The seconds zoomed by and my minute was up. The bell rang and in walked my classmates. Before I knew it, I was swept away in a sea of pretenders.

At lunch I knew that I had to patch things up with Yumiko. Her desire to be alone made me want to be with her even more. I picked up my lunch in the cafeteria and went outside. The sun hit my eyes and I squinted. Yumiko was sitting beneath a cherry tree. 

Winter still lingered in the air. The grass near her already showed green spots from under the snow. I walked up to her but was stopped by two of my "friends".

"What are doing, Yoshiaki? I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing."

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Going near that freak, Yumiko."

"She's not a freak." I tried to pass them. They wouldn't let me off that easy, though.

"Wait, you're telling me that you're going to sit with HER!?" they pressed on. They were getting louder, and soon most of the lunch-eaters were staring. Yumiko was looking my way, too.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna talk to her, too. Got a problem with that?" 

They muttered something about me going nutso and left. I walked toward Yumiko and smiled sheepishly. "Hi."

She smiled back at me. "Hey."

And so began my life with Yumiko. Little did I know that this life wouldn't last too long.

Mountain Rain: What did ya think? Good? Bad?  I need to know! Review!


	5. Enemy

Worlds Apart

Chapter 5- Enemy

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except for Yoshiaki, Yumiko, Yumi, the idea for this story, and that weird porcupine/hedgehog fur ball thing I call Triscuit that sits by my bed.

**Mountain Rain**: Thankies to mah lovely reviewers! (both of them) They are, in the words of Georgia Nicolson, "Double cool with knobs". Now on to the story!

Lunch with Yumiko was amazing. I didn't have to mask who I was like I normally would have with my popular ex-"friends". I briefly wondered if all nerdy-lunches were this wonderful.

"Thanks," stated Yumiko, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"For what?" I asked.

"Fom sticklim mup fom me befom," she said, her mouth full of food.

"Heh, no problem. It felt good to defy the unwritten rules of popularity for once."

She stared at me and smiled. I asked her what she was staring at. "Wow," she started. "Behind that tough exterior, you're really just a geek at heart."

I grinned. Maybe I was a just a good-looking geek. Nah. Yumiko's smile never left her face while we finished our lunch. My eyes never left her face, oddly. Every time she looked at me I felt my face get red. That was weird. Really, really weird. Never in my life have I felt like that.

"So, um, are you ever gonna tell me about your parents?"

She looked up at me and grinned. My face got hot. "If you want to know so much about them, why don't you come with me after school today to visit them?"

"Sure."

When the last school bell rang, Yumiko and I took the old stairway on the other side of the school. This led us to a seemingly abandoned parking lot. A dark green sports utility vehicle was at the far side. We walked over to it, and the tinted window opened.

"Yumiko, who's that?" asked her mother. I blinked—Yumiko's mom was stunning! She looked exactly like her, except for the fact that her hair was a bit more blonde.

"This is a friend, Mom. His name is Yoshiaki." I bowed politely and said hello.

"Oh, a boy, huh? He's cute." Kaolla winked at me. I blushed and Yumiko scowled. "Mom, he's just a friend."

"Just a friend, eh? I remember when Kaolla and I were just friends…" said Keitaro. My face had gone way past the suggested amount of blushing in 10 seconds. Yumiko's face was completely red, also.

"Oh, you!!" she cried. Then we went inside the car. We drove for a while until we reached a small house. Yumiko and I stepped out, and Keitaro and Kaolla followed us. I wondered vaguely if I had just been kidnapped. It wasn't me who was the kidnapped one, however.

Once we were inside the house, I was led into the living room. Yumiko and I sat on one sofa, and her parents sat opposite us.

"So…Yoshiaki, what brings you here?" asked Kaolla.

"I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Shoot."

"Um, okay. How come Yumiko's surname is Takayama?"

Yumiko smiled sadly. "I can answer that. I was kidnapped when I was young. The couple who took me were enemies of Dad. They changed my last name and moved every so often to avoid suspicion."

"How come you never went back to your parents? You've got a perfect chance now!"

"Yumiko's captors know where we live. They keep tabs on us. If she ran away, they'd know where she was and then they would kill not only her, but me and Kaolla as well," answered Keitaro. He had a dark light in his eyes. Their predicament was too complicated for my simple mind. I didn't know how hard it would be for Yumiko to escape unscathed.

I was about to find out very soon.  

*

I never really knew how many nerds there were in school. Quite a lot of them looked up to me. However, the entire population applauded me when I walked through the hallways with Yumiko at my side. Okay, not really applauded, but smiled and approved or whatever. It seemed I became more popular when I began hanging out with Yumiko. This is probably how politicians win elections. 

Not everyone enjoyed my new friendship with Yumiko. My fan group was particularly ticked off. They were threatened when she came and invaded their "territory" (i.e., me). Yumi felt extremely jealous when she found that I was spending more time with Yumiko than I ever would with her.

At first, it was just stupid thing that jealous girls do. Y'know, like sending Yumiko nasty notes and trying to butt in on our conversations whenever they spotted us in the hallway. But that was only for a short time. Soon, their threats became real. Very real.

The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was about time for another downpour. Yumiko and I were walking to school. We were happily chatting until a rock hit me in the back of my head.

"OW! What the h—"

"Sorry, Yoshiaki!" called out a girly voice. I looked behind me and saw Yumi and two girls from my fangroup. I think their names were Ayame and Mitsuki. Or was it Mitsuko…? I had no idea. They all seemed the same to me.

"Idiots…" mumbled Yumiko. She seemed quite amused. Another rock came and would have hit her in it weren't for my absurdly large head in the way.

"Sorry again! We're not trying to hit you!"

I groaned. This was pathetic. "C'mon, lets go!" I whispered to Yumiko. I took her hand and ran the way to school. Ayame, Yumi, and Mitsuki/o gasped in anger and shock. Ticking them off was the highlight of my day.

No, that was the second highlight of my day. The real highlight was when Yumiko and I suddenly stopped in front the school and she sort of fell into my arms.

"Uh…. Y-Yumiko…." I stuttered. The slender girl's head was laid on my chest. 

"Yes?" she looked up at my tomato face and blushed. "S-sorry!" she managed to say before she backed away from me and turned. "Guess we have to go inside now."

"Yeah, inside."

Unfortunately, we were never able to make it inside. Yumi, Ayame, and Mitsuki(or Mitsuko) had followed us. At their cue, a large group of fan girls whisked me away, leaving Yumiko in the hands of the evil Yumi.

"Stop it!" I yelled. They paid no attention. "Stop it now or I'll hate all of you forever!"

Like good little jealous fan girls, they stopped. "We're sorry!" the group squealed. It was amazing how high girls' voices could become. I growled at them and ran back to the front of the school.

Yumi was gone by the time I got there.

**Mountain Rain**: Dun dun dun! What's gonna happen next? Will Yoshiaki be able to save Yumiko? Or will she be caught in the clutches of the super evil (and super slutty) Yumi? Review if ya wanna find out! ^_^


	6. Kiss

Worlds Apart

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. I own Yoshiaki and Yumiko. Why anyone would want to steal them is a mystery to me.

Chapter Six- Kiss

It took me a few minutes to find Yumi in the crowd forming outside of the school. She was in the middle of the crowd, holding Yumiko's hands behind her back. A part of my fan group was throwing pieces of food and even rocks at her. Yumiko was struggling to get out of Yumi's grip.

"This is what you get, Yumiko. This is what you deserve for taking Yoshi-kun away from us!" called out Yumi. The crowd roared in agreement.

"Yumi!" I called out. She ignored me and went on ranting and screaming at Yumiko. I pushed my way through the angry mob and stopped a few feet away. Silence filled the area.

"Let her go, Yumi," I snarled. "Stop this."

"No, Yoshiaki! Why would you pick her over us?"

"Because I can be myself around her. That's more than I can say for any of you. She likes me for me, not because I'm popular." _Could I have sounded anymore lame? _I thought. 

Yumiko finally succeeded in breaking Yumi's hold on her. The girls surrounding us hurled more food at her; I tried my best to make them stop.

"Yoshiaki, can't you see that you belong with us?" asked Yumi. Her face softened when she looked at me, then she glared at Yumiko. "I mean, you don't belong with a freak like her."

"How hard-headed can you be? I just told you I LIKE hanging out with Yumiko."

Yumi scowled at me. The fan girls started throwing harder objects like stones and the occasional stiletto. I gave them the evil eye tried to talk with her. "Call them off, please."

She came closer and fingered the collar off my uniform. "You do something for me, and I'll do something for you…." she whispered.

 I made a disgusted face and I could think of was: _Not clean…molested by horrible wench…._

Yumiko pushed her back and then said, "Whoops! Heh, it's a nervous tick."

"You…." growled Yumi. The crowd advanced. My catfight senses were tingling, so I had to make them stop somehow. No idea came to my mind, so I did the one thing that I could do.

I kissed Yumiko.

*

The silence between Yumiko and I was unbearable. I was leading her away from the school and to my house.

Only minutes before, I broke off the kiss and then took her hand and walked as quickly as I could away.

She didn't speak to me when we walked in. I quietly told her that she could change her clothes in the bathroom, and I would bring her some of my sister's clothes to wear. She nodded and left. I peered around the house and to my satisfaction my brother wasn't there. After I gave Yumiko the clothes, I changed out of my uniform into knee length shorts and a black shirt.

When we were done changing, Yumiko and I sat in the living room couches. She was opposite me and kept staring at the floor. "What are you looking at?" I gathered up the courage to say. She pointed at my legs. Numerous scars of assorted shapes and sizes marked my skin.

"What happened?" she asked. "Are you being—?"

"No."

"Then tell me what happened."

"I scratch my skin and it bleeds. Nothing to get excited about."

"Why do you scratch your skin?"

"I take hot showers."

"If that's the result, then don't do it anymore."

"Why do you care?" I snapped at her. She looked hurt, then answered, "Believe it or not, Yoshiaki, but some people actually care about you and can't stand to see you being hurt."

I was silent for a few minutes. Then, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence, I apologized. "Yumiko, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," she said. After a few more minutes of horrible silence, she stood up and walked towards me. "I guess I should thank you for earlier…." She bent down and lightly placed her lips upon mine.

**Mountain Rain: **How did you like it? I'm sick and I stayed home from school, so I finally got the time to work on WA. Please review!!


	7. Rooftops

Worlds Apart

Chapter 7- Rooftops

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina.

The day of the kissing incident, Yumiko and I became boyfriend and girlfriend. My fan group abandoned hope of ever pulling me away from the so-called "dark side" and the geeks and freaks (the "dark lords" of the "dark side") started treating me as one of their own. My worries about what people thought about me faded away. I spent more time with Yumiko than I'd ever spent with anyone. The problem was, the more time I spent with her, the more I fell in love with her.

It's hard to lose something you love.

~

One stormy night a few months after the incident, I heard a knock at my door. The rest of my family was at a funeral, but I stayed home because I always get sick at funerals. I opened the door, and there in the pouring rain stood Yumiko, smiling warmly.

"Yumiko? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Can I come in, or are you just going to let me freeze here?"

I let her in and closed the door. "What's wrong?"

"I ran away," she began, "They threatened me. This time, instead of threatening to kill my parents, 'Dear Mother and Father' said they would come after you instead. I don't know they found out, but they were serious."  Yumiko shivered. "It's cold in here."

"Maybe you should take a quick shower and change your clothes, since you're all wet. It would really be crappy if you got sick," I answered. She nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then walked to the bathroom.

After Yumiko was done showering and changing her clothes, we decided that she would spend the night, since she didn't have anywhere else to go. We slept in the living room on the couches because she didn't want to be left alone.

"Yumiko…" I said.

"Yeah?" she answered, in my arms. (No, all you perverted minds out there, we were not sleeping together.)

"I love you…."

She turned her head and looked at me. She smiled, "I love you, too, Yoshi-kun…." I laughed and snuggled her.

"Oh, I have something for you," I remembered. I broke from her grip and got up to give her a decorative paper bag. Yumiko picked up the small black velvet box inside and opened it. Her eyes shone with delight and surprise.

"Yoshiaki, it's really-wow. Thank you so much, it's beautiful. It must have cost you a lot," she stuttered. I picked up the teardrop shaped diamond necklace with blue topaz stones bordering the diamond and asked her if I could put it on her. She agreed and lifted up her hair.

"You look stunning," I said after I finished placing it around Yumiko's neck and closing the clasp.

She had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked and hoped that those were tears of joy.

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered. More crystalline tears fell.

"What? You're not going too, 'cause me and you are going to be together forever."

She did leave, and she took my heart with her.

I woke up alone and cold to the sound of the doorbell. From the couch, I could see through the window that the sun didn't come up yet. It must have been three in the morning, and whoever woke me up was going to feel my wrath.

When I opened the window, I expected to see Yumiko there. _Maybe she went for a walk and got locked outside_, I thought. Yumiko wasn't standing on my doorstep. A police officer was.

It's never good news when a police officer suddenly decides to pay you a visit at three in the morning.

"Hello?" I greeted a bit roughly.

"Yes, I'm officer Shinoda. I understand that you were associated with Yumiko Takayama?"

"Yes." 

"You are the only person that will acknowledge her existence; we have already contacted her parents, but they refuse to admit they know her."

"Uh huh."

"Yumiko was involved in a car accident—" The rest of his words were a jumble that I couldn't make any sense of. "Collided with train…nothing left…No evidence of her body…reason to believe…dead."

_Dead. _That was the only thing I could think of when darkness took over and I felt the floor in the back of my head.

~

**Mountain Rain: **What did you think? I had GEPA all this week and no homework, so I had the time. Heh, I got new contacts and everything looks very weird, so if I misspelled something, just tell me. Oh yeah, do you know how many great songfics can be created from all the Story of the Year and Brand New songs?! TOO MANY TO COUNT!


	8. Broken

Worlds Apart

Chapter 8- Broken

_"From up here the city lights burn_

_Like a thousand miles of fire_

_And I'm here to sing this anthem_

_Of our dying day"_

- Anthem of Our Dying Day, Story of the Year

**Mountain Rain: **This chapter is dedicated all the other lonely, heartbroken people out there in the world.

Some people say time heals all wounds. Those people lied.

Three years passed, but the memory of Yumiko's death was still fresh. Everything reminded me of her. The wind that blew the cherry blossoms petals past my emotionless face as I was walking felt like her voice: soft and sweet, singing a beautiful song. The sky that sparkled with sunlight felt like her eyes. Every time her face appeared in my mind, it was like the wound had been reopened.

I was walking down the streets of the city of Hinata. This was my new home; I was attending a college here. It was a pretty small college, but it was well known. I was living in a house with all different people. I had made friends with a few kids who dormed and shared classes with me. One was Mikari Kitano, and she had blue eyes and short sapphire hair. She was younger than me and a bit naïve. Another was Hiro Akiyo, son of a famous swordswoman. He has olive eyes and straight jet-black hair.  My other friend was Kikyou Otagi, with light brown hair and eyes. Her mother owned the inn now, and had a short temper and no patience for perverts.

The only other person who knew Yumiko's story was Mikari. I told her everything because I knew I could trust her. Although childish and innocent, she was so strong when it came to holding secrets. Mikari's mother looks exactly like her, and Mikari holds the same talent for cooking as her dear mom. 

It's very weird how all of my friends' parents knew each other when they were young. In fact, they grew up in the very same apartment building, which is a little creepy. A clumsy guy managed the building once, but he fell in love with two of his tenants and had to choose which one he loved more. It didn't end very well, and so he decided to sell the building and move away. The tenants didn't want the inn to fall into the wrong hands, so Kikyou's mother, Naru, bought it.

~

I was staring at nothing in particular while I walked down the street. I had just returned from the store to buy my lunch, a variety of different forms of sugar. Pixie Stix, Sour Patches, and Swedish Fish: the good stuff. I arrived the steps to the Hinata Apartments. It was the beginning of April, and the cherry trees were in bloom. The many steps to home were bordered with these powdery trees. The sky looked like it was snowing cherry blossom petals. Somewhere in my mind, a bell rang. I thought it was my cell phone for a second, and checked my pocket. No, actually, it was sweet singing. Sometime long ago, I had heard the words of this song.

_kinoo atta dekigoto keshiki mitai ni hanasu KIMI_

_yuukure no mannaka de koko wa natsu no iriguchi_

I looked in all directions to find the source of the song. Finally, my incredibly weak ears located the song's direction. I started out walking up the stairs to the cherry trees, and then ran. I wasn't going to miss memory lane.

_CHAIMU ni hazikarete kakedasu sakamichi  
  
_

_kaze o kanzitara  
  
_

_nayande ita koto mo warai to baseru kara  
  
_

_ashita wa hareru ne_

My feet pounded against the stone until it finally hit soft grass. In the maze of whitish pink fluff, I had to seek out her voice. It seemed so real….

_koi shite yume miru mainichi daizi na takaramono_

_toritomenaku osyaberi tsuzukete itai hookago wa  
  
_

_mada shiranai tokimeki deau setsunai yokan_

Finally, I came to a tiny clearing surrounded by those cherry trees. Petals danced softly in the wind, like snowflakes….

_toki ni onazi kimochi mitsukerarenakute mo  
  
_

_KIMI wa daizyoobu  
  
_

_zibun rashi koto ga kagayaite iru tte  
  
_

_oshiete kureta ne_

Before me stood a ghost_. _A tanned, white haired ghost, dressed in a flowing white gown and dancing to the rhythm of the wind that blew her around like a cherry blossom petal.

_narande mitsumeru ano sora omoi o utsushiteru_

_RASSYU no hitonami ni nagasarenai yoo ni  
  
_

_kokoro musubitai  
  
_

_akogareteru koto o zutto nakusanai de  
  
_

_otona ni natte mo_

She turned around, and for a second, I thought I would faint. Three years, and she hadn't changed a bit. Except for the fact that she was supposed to be dead….

_koi shite yume miru mainichi daizi na takaramono  
  
_

_sugi yuku zikan no kakera ni eien tozikomete_

Around this ghost-girl's neck was a diamond necklace, with blue topaz stones bordering the tear-shaped diamond. When she looked at me, her eyes spilled over with regret.

"I had to do it…. They believed I was dead, and my parents were safe… They will never come after you…."

I didn't want to prolong this. I didn't care that for three years, I believed a lie that practically ruined my life. I only cared that she was here, in the flesh, and that she will never be tortured again. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face into her neck. This time, I wasn't about to let her go. She held me tightly, and whispered in my ear, "I'm not leaving you again…"

"I love you…"

~End

**Mountain Rain: **It's finished!! How did you like it? Let me know. Review, please! Oh, I must thank all of the good people who reviewed! x-Rikku-x, Vash the unholy, and Haitani Masayuki. They're the best! Ja ne!


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